EVgo DC chargers were horrible up until the beginning of 2018. They're still not perfect, but improvement is being made.

[michael]

30 Minute rule was still in effect a few weeks back in Los Angeles and I fully support it. I needed some charge to get on my way and it made no sense for me to need to wait for some guy to top off. And what if there had been someone already in line? Or two?

If you cannot depend on reasonably quick access to a DCFC, there is nothing fast about it.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

It's not about topping off, it's about getting enough charge to get to the next charger.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution I guess. We really need much better infrastructure.

 

[michael]

It's not about topping off, it's about getting enough charge to get to the next charger.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution I guess. We really need much better infrastructure.

Exactly. And in my opinion is more important to get two people 80 miles than to get one person 160. If nobody else is waiting, one can do as many half hours as he wants, but if someone else is out of juice, he should get a chance at the charger.

The other observation I would make is that there are too many CHADEMO chargers compared to CCS chargers now. The place I went had a CHADEMO (unused) and CHADEMO/CCS combo charger (in use by a Bolt) and a level 2 (in use by a Bolt). Plus me in a Bolt waiting.

 

[bluebolt]

I also recently had a very poor experience with an EVgo charger, when with my Bolt almost completely depleted, and the weather extremely cold, I drove to a mall where PlugShare reported that fast chargers were present. They turned out to be EVgo, which I'd never used before, but I figured to give a try.

The EVgo's cable was lying in the snow, which puzzled me at first. I picked up the cable, plugged it into my Bolt, and attempted to use the EVgo charger -- unsuccessfully, because there was no credit card reader. I don't know whether it could take an RFID or not, and in any case I don't have one for EVgo. So I had to call a phone number listed on the charger. After a pause, a service rep picked up, who was friendly and helpful -- she turned out to be the only positive thing about my EVgo experience.

After reading off a credit card number to her -- my hands shaking in the cold -- I waited for her to activate the charger. After a pause, she said that the charger was now activated. Nothing happened. I double-checked that the charger cable was plugged into my Bolt, and it was, but still nothing happened. She tried several more times, unsuccessfully, while the minutes passed, and I became colder and colder. We were both puzzled and frustrated, and I was freezing. After perhaps 5 minutes of failed activation attempts, I told her to stop, and that I would move my car to a different EVgo charger instead.

When I tried to hang up the first charger's EVgo cable back into its receptacle, I found to my surprise that it wouldn't fit; I had to leave the cable lying on the ground. Now I understood why it had been there in the first place. I drove my Bolt to the next-in-line EVgo charger. When the rep asked me for the ID of that charger, I had to hunt-and-seek for it. It turned out to be on a different sticker, and in a different place, then the first charger. When I finally located it, we were both surprised to find out that it displayed the same ID as the charger that I'd just left. Indeed, both chargers had the same ID listed on their stickers -- and we now realized that all this time, the rep had been repeatedly activating the second charger, at a distance from the first charger that I'd originally parked at.

About 10 minutes after I had first pulled up at my first-ever EVgo charger, with my fingers painfully numb from the cold, my Bolt finally began charging. I went into the mall, figuring that I'd return an hour later to find that the car was charged to almost full. But to my astonishment, and as other people on this thread have reported, when I got back I discovered that the charger had shut off far earlier than expected -- and without any warning -- so that my Bolt was charged only about 25% of the way back to full, rather than the 100% that I'd expected.

I departed without making any further attempts to charge, and had to again leave the cable on the ground because it didn't fit into the charger receptacle.

The experience was so frustrating that, like others here, I now just avoid EVgo chargers altogether.

 

[michael]

I used one yesterday...in Palm Springs, California. I live about 140 miles from there and spent the weekend. I needed some juice to get home. I arrived with about 90 miles range remaining.

Could not have been easier. I tapped my EVGO card and it charged 99 Amps at 360 V for 30 minutes. Added plenty of miles to get home without further thought. The car showed that in an additional 15 minutes it would have been at 80% charge and stopped anyway, without or without EVgo limits.

I'm completely satisfied. I suggest people get the EVgo card, it avoid the need to sit on the phone and deal with waits.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

We used an EVgo charger on Sunday, 3 times - because they have the stupid 30 minute limit. This is was a measly 25kW unit - we paid $35.70 for about 120 miles of charging. Which is crazy expensive.

The first EVgo station we tried failed to work. We then tried a ChargePoint unit at a BMW dealership, that was disabled because they were closed. The second EVgo unit we tried did work, which we appreciate. A LEAF arrived, and since you can't use both CHAdeMO and CCS at the same time, we had to let him use it after the 30 minutes were up.

We drove to our destination, and on the way back home, we did 2 sessions, to get the range up to about 104 miles (it was about 9F and we had to use the defroster all the time).

We used a 50kW ChargePoint at the end of our drive, to get a 25 mile buffer to get us all the way home. We got about 2X more miles per minute , and I don't know the cost yet, but it was probably 1/3 - 1/2 as much.

 

[SmokingRubber]

My friend has ordered a new 2018 Nissan Leaf and he's getting the first one off the boat. He and I are going down to pick it up in 2 weeks. I live approx 170 miles North of the dealer (Van Nuys Nissan).

He and I have been talking electric vehicles for about 9 months now. I pulled the trigger 2 months ago on the Bolt and I've tried to steer him to Chevy, but he's set on the Leaf. Oh well, it's his loss.

My range is only about 180 miles. With our destination being 170 away, I'd likely make it but I don't want to risk it. My plan is to stop in Santa Barbara and hit a EV Go dc charger for 30 minutes on the way down. Then I'll drop him off at the dealer and go find another fast charger in Van Nuys.

Side question: he gets free charging through some deal with Nissan and EV Go. Hopefully he gets an EV Go card with his car like I got a ChargePoint card with mine. Would I be able to mooch off his account for a free charge at an EV Go station on the way home?

He'll have less range than my Bolt, so we'll definitely have to hit a charger in Santa Barbara on the way back. Hopefully he'll have enough range to get from there to my house. Then he lives another 50 miles North of me, so we'll get a charge at my house or go to the dc charger in San Luis Obispo. It's going to be an adventure.

 

[SparkE]

My friend has ordered a new 2018 Nissan Leaf and he's getting the first one off the boat. He and I are going down to pick it up in 2 weeks. I live approx 170 miles North of the dealer (Van Nuys Nissan).

He and I have been talking electric vehicles for about 9 months now. I pulled the trigger 2 months ago on the Bolt and I've tried to steer him to Chevy, but he's set on the Leaf. Oh well, it's his loss.

My range is only about 180 miles. With our destination being 170 away, I'd likely make it but I don't want to risk it. My plan is to stop in Santa Barbara and hit a EV Go dc charger for 30 minutes on the way down. Then I'll drop him off at the dealer and go find another fast charger in Van Nuys.

Side question: he gets free charging through some deal with Nissan and EV Go. Hopefully he gets an EV Go card with his car like I got a ChargePoint card with mine. Would I be able to mooch off his account for a free charge at an EV Go station on the way home?

He'll have less range than my Bolt, so we'll definitely have to hit a charger in Santa Barbara on the way back. Hopefully he'll have enough range to get from there to my house. Then he lives another 50 miles North of me, so we'll get a charge at my house or go to the dc charger in San Luis Obispo. It's going to be an adventure.

Personally, I would stop at the Santa Ynez Marriott (555 McMurray Rd, Buellton, CA) on the way back if you need "insurance" to get home (instead of charging for an additional 30 minutes at EVgo) - it's about 124 miles between it and Van Nuys Nissan - and it has both CCS and CHAdeMO plugs. There are *two* ChargePoint 125A DCFCs, and you pay by the kWh, not the minute. It's also JUST off US-101 (you can see it from the freeway).

The CCS plug - not the CHAdeMO plug - on the 125A/50 kW unit at the Goleta COSTCO seems to be broken (but the nearby 24kW CCS-only unit at Courtyard Goleta/Santa Barbara seems to be working - useful for top-off).

 

[SmokingRubber]

Personally, I would stop at the Santa Ynez Marriott (555 McMurray Rd, Buellton, CA) on the way back if you need "insurance" to get home (instead of charging for an additional 30 minutes at EVgo) - it's about 124 miles between it and Van Nuys Nissan - and it has both CCS and CHAdeMO plugs. There are *two* ChargePoint 125A DCFCs, and you pay by the kWh, not the minute. It's also JUST off US-101 (you can see it from the freeway).

The CCS plug - not the CHAdeMO plug - on the 125A/50 kW unit at the Goleta COSTCO seems to be broken (but the nearby 24kW CCS-only unit at Courtyard Goleta/Santa Barbara seems to be working - useful for top-off).

I appreciate the tip. I'll definitely do that. It's always good to know where the good juice-tits are located along the route.

Fast chargers are still rare around here. There's a new ChargePoint DCFC out in front of Flagship Restaurant in Pismo Beach now. It's only got one tit though. And there's a DCFCer at BMW in Santa Maria, but I haven't used that one yet so I don't know the make and model. It's likely an EVGo. San Luis Obispo has a three-boobed EVGo off Broad Street.

My go-to spot for free Level 2 juice is Lowe's in Santa Maria though. It's right off the freeway and there's a few eats near there with more going in as we speak. I work a mile from there so it's been my lifesaver while I wait for the electricians to get me hooked up.

I'll definitively plan on stopping in Buellton. Is it near the Hitching Post or Anderson's Split Pea Soup? It might be dinner time by the time we get there Plus, my wife will be out of town that week so I'll have the golden hall-pass. Too bad Chumash doesn't have a DCFC lol. Does it?

Edit: Chumash has free Level 2 charging That's f@$#&!$@ sweet!

 

[Kirknc]

I used EVgo for the first time today, worked fine but I had done the research and had everything ready including an EVgo card. The charger actually charged for 50 minutes but I only got charged for 31. I was 40% when I started and 65% when it stopped. Worked great in my trial run. Don’t think it’s fair to blame evgo if you show up at the station with no card or no clue how they work (I.e. 30 minutes). If they had no limit you might show up to find someone parked there for 1/2 the day.

 

[SeanNelson]

Don’t think it’s fair to blame evgo if you show up at the station with no card or no clue how they work (I.e. 30 minutes).

I don't know of anywhere that this 30 minute thing is publicized except through posts on the car forums, so I can forgive people for getting caught by surprise by it.

 

[Kirknc]

Don’t think it’s fair to blame evgo if you show up at the station with no card or no clue how they work (I.e. 30 minutes).

I don't know of anywhere that this 30 minute thing is publicized except through posts on the car forums, so I can forgive people for getting caught by surprise by it.

It’s on the EVgo website plan pages where it states “ sessions are limited to 30 minutes”. Again, a little preparation is helpful before showing up at a charger.

 

[SeanNelson]

Don’t think it’s fair to blame evgo if you show up at the station with no card or no clue how they work (I.e. 30 minutes).

I don't know of anywhere that this 30 minute thing is publicized except through posts on the car forums, so I can forgive people for getting caught by surprise by it.

It’s on the EVgo website plan pages where it states “ sessions are limited to 30 minutes”. Again, a little preparation is helpful before showing up at a charger.

Ah, OK. It didn't really register for me when I signed up, perhaps because I was already aware via the forums.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Don’t think it’s fair to blame evgo if you show up at the station with no card or no clue how they work (I.e. 30 minutes).

I don't know of anywhere that this 30 minute thing is publicized except through posts on the car forums, so I can forgive people for getting caught by surprise by it.

It’s on the EVgo website plan pages where it states “ sessions are limited to 30 minutes”. Again, a little preparation is helpful before showing up at a charger.

Yes, it's there now. It wasn't a couple of months ago. They subtly put it there in response to complaints, and now just point at it and say: "see? it's right there in black and white!"

 

[Kirknc]

Ideally it should display the time limit on the charging screen when you are charging, I have only used it once and can’t recall if it said anything. I actually charged for 50 minutes but was only charged for 31.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Ideally it should display the time limit on the charging screen when you are charging, I have only used it once and can’t recall if it said anything. I actually charged for 50 minutes but was only charged for 31.

Agreed. I have looked for that, but have yet to see it show up on the charger itself. I wish there was a way from the outset to request a longer session. It takes over an hour to charge a Bolt on a 50kW station. I like to go have a meal while I'm waiting. I'd love to just request a 60 minute session so I don't have to interrupt my meal to restart the darn charger.

 

[SparkE]

It is apparently possible to restart a charge using your smart phone, without going back to the EVgo DCFC. I know I have read more than once that people have done this.

A slight aside; I can understand that if a person is waiting to use a DCFC and the charger mysteriously re-ups for another 30 minute session, that the person waiting might be a tad miffed. (This can be somewhat mollified by leaving a large sign on the dash that says "this EV will be using this DCFC until X p.m." so that follow-on arrivals will be aware.)

ChargePoint has a neat feature, IF the customer (i.e., the entity that bought the unit) allows/enables it: waitlist. An EV driver arrives at an occupied charge station, places their card on the reader, and is automatically put on the list of people waiting to charge. That seems like a very useful thing for a busy DCFC: once a 30-minute limit has been reached, only allow re-starting if nobody is waiting to use the charger. It seems that logic could also be programmed to take into account SoC of the vehicle. CP already has the option of charging more for 'parking' (plugged in, car is full so not charging).

This "having to wait, then charge for 60 minutes" problem will (hopefully) go away relatively soon, as the 150 kW-rate DCFCs (and the cars to take advantage of them) roll out. A Bolt that can charge at (say) 120 kW (2C) until 40% SoC, then 65 kW (~1C) until 60%, would significantly reduce wait times for travellers. I have seen a ChargePoint Express Plus (those units that go up to 300+ kW, and can share and adjust charge rate among several plugs using Dynamic Power Sharing) that is being installed. Once "double plugs" of those are installed every 70 miles along interstates, well ...

Edit: https://www.chargepoint.com/products/waitlist/

Edit 2: Actually, thinking about it, the unit I have seen being installed could be just an Express 250 (up to 62.5 kW) - not the full-blown Express Plus system. No way for me to know.

 

[Kirknc]

Your right, those more powerful chargers will be a game changer for long distance traveling. In my mind, right now long distance traveling, while possible is not really the niche for current EV’s. I have had my Bolt five months and outside of a trial run with EVgo (to make sure it worked), I have yet to pay for a charge. All mine has been free charging from public chargers. Of course I only have 1,800 miles.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

It is apparently possible to restart a charge using your smart phone, without going back to the EVgo DCFC. I know I have read more than once that people have done this.

I was not aware of this, thank you for sharing. I will look into it.

I agree about the signage, too. I may get something like the "EV frisbee" and leave a phone number they could call if they need to cut in between 30min sessions.

 

[SparkE]

It is apparently possible to restart a charge using your smart phone, without going back to the EVgo DCFC. I know I have read more than once that people have done this.

I was not aware of this, thank you for sharing. I will look into it.

OK, it's a "manual" restart - you have to use a telephone and (gasp) TALK with someone !!! OMG! The following was inspired by a MichaelLAX post - one of the most useful posts he ever made on this forum. (but the below has been modified by me). If you aren't a 5+ minute walk from your car, you might want to step outside to make sure that nobody is waiting for the charger, and/or that your car is still plugged in (it would NOT be funny to find out that you paid for a 30-minute charge for somebody else's car.) Also, you might want to be standing next to the car the FIRST time you do this at each particular DCFC (as *some* EVgo DCFCs do go past the 30-minute limit). Also, I make no claims that the following actually works - but I would suggest printing it out and placing the paper in the glovebox of your Bolt for later reference.

- Have the MyChevy app ready to go to be able to monitor the Charging state of your vehicle (e.g., has stopped or restarted)

- At the EVgo station, take a picture of the charger ID number for future use (or write it down), and start a timer once you begin charging (or note the time) - so you know when 30 minutes has expired.

- when the timer goes off, check the MyChevy app to verify that charging has actually stopped. Don't wait too long after the 30 minutes, as someone might unplug you!

- Call EVgo and Tell them you want to activate a charger

- Give them your phone number for your EVGo account (they often want your name, address and maybe your email to confirm it's you). {ed: I suppose that you could give them your member number as well}

- Give them the charger ID such as TxxxDC1 (they will usually confirm its location)

- Confirm you are using the CCS/Combo plug and that it is already plugged into the vehicle (here they will start the charging process)

- Wait a tad and refresh the MyChevy app to check that it is actually charging; if not, refresh again (and again, and ... until it shows charging)

tell EVgo "yup, the car is charging " and then they will usually confirm from their end it is charging.